Fascination
by OoZolaoO
Summary: Unexpected, random events caused by a case and pure circumstance can create unlikely romantic sparks, given the chance. Multi-pairing fluff, eventual tame femmeslash. Chapter 3 up! Formerly titled "Unexpected, Not Unreasonable." .:COMPLETE:.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Yeah, I'm definitely on a Bones kick. xD Anyways, here's my second pairing fic, but this one's longer -- meaning that there are more chapters on the way! :D I would absolutely love some constructive criticism, if'n you're willing to offer it.

I do not own Bones, the characters, or anything except my storyline.

Warnings: Multi-pairing fluff that escalates in one case to some tame slash. There, you've been warned! (:

Season 4/5-ish timing, and this is dedicated to my friend and recent crush Catherine.

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"Cam, where is my assistant for today?" Brennan demanded as she stalked into the autopsy room. Cam looked up from the corpse she was examining, holding her bloodstained latex gloves away from her body.

"Now isn't really the best time," she replied, indicating her gloves and the cadaver.

Brennan ignored her. "I need an assistant, and whoever is due on the rotation hasn't shown up."

Cam sighed mentally. "I'll be with you shortly, Dr. Brennan," she said patiently, going back to the cadaver. She had expected Brennan to leave and come back later, but her colleague was still waiting in the doorway. Cam's dark eyes flicked to the door and the irritated Dr. Brennan again, and the sigh escaped her.

"Just…give me a moment." She straightened and inserted her right thumb under the rim of her left glove, removing it efficiently without soiling her hands. She repeated the procedure and disposed of the now-inverted gloves in a nearby biohazard bin. "Now, let's see who's in the doghouse today."

"Why would they be in a doghouse? They _should_ be at work," Brennan insisted, trailing behind as Cam strode towards the forensic platform. They halted in front of a clipboard hung from the outside of the raised area.

"Today is Wednesday, correct?" Cam drew her finger down the list, her eyes skipping along the names. "It looks like Wendell's due in today."

"But Wendell's never late," Brennan insisted, treading on Cam's heels as the coroner turned to make her way back to her autopsy. "Sorry."

Cam stopped and turned to face her colleague. "I don't know where he is, Dr. Brennan, but following me like a duckling isn't going to help you find out." She closed her eyes for a moment and took a breath, then reopened them. "Go ask Angela to call him – make sure he knows he's on today."

Brennan strode away without another word. Despite her throbbing heels, Cam couldn't help but smile as she watched her go.

---

"How's it going?" Angela mounted the stairs to the forensic platform after swiping her card with the typical chiming sound.

"The tox screen results haven't come back yet, but so far it's looking like suicide." Cam propped her hands on her hips. "Dr. Brennan, you may strip what's left of the flesh now."

"Thank you." Brennan gestured to a gangly grad student standing nearby. The girl rushed over, nearly tripping over her feet in the process. "Miss Hansen, I will leave that to you."

"Y-Yes, Dr. Brennan," the girl managed, just avoiding biting off her tongue, which flicked out nervously to lick her lips every few minutes.

"There she goes again with the 'Miss' thing." Hodgins joined them on the platform as Brennan left with her grad student. Several of lab techs followed with the gurney and the red, mangled body.

"Where'd you find this one?" Angela's eyes followed the gurney. She looked faintly disgusted.

"Sewers." Hodgins answered quickly, avoiding eye contact with Angela as he thrust his stack of papers towards Cam. "Based on insect activity and the meal plans of the neighborhood rats, I'd put time of death around four to six months."

"Thank you, Dr. Hodgins." Cam took the papers and began flipping through them. "Tox screen suggests a possibility of," she glanced up at Hodgins, "suicide?"

"Might be." Hodgins shrugged. "There were high levels of antidepressants and mood stabilizers in her body at time of death, but not enough to kill her."

"It's a female, then?" Angela prompted.

"Yes, Dr. Brennan says late teens to early twenties," Cam replied, taking a nearby paperclip and clipping together the report in her hands.

"Oh, I forgot, Wendell called," Angela added. "That's why I came up here in the first place."

"Why is he not here?" Cam's dark eyes locked with Angela's.

"Apparently he has that stomach flu that's been going around." Angela grimaced. "The one Booth said Parker had?"

"Do you think I should call in a replacement?" Cam asked, nodding to Hodgins as he left the platform, leaving Cam and Angela.

Angela hesitated, her eyes following Brennan and her twitchy grad student. "Nah, I think Gracie's got it under control."

"And if she doesn't?" Cam arched an eyebrow.

An impish grin spread across Angela's face. "Then this'll be fun to watch."

The corners of Cam's mouth tucked downward in her typical amused smile. "Run along, you," she laughed, shooing Angela away with a flick of her wrist. Angela grinned over her shoulder and complied, flouncing down the stairs with the usual cheerful spring to her step.

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**A/N: **Hit that review button, go go go! :D Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thanks to those who reviewed the first chapter! (: Here's chapter 2 out of 3; hope you guys enjoy! This is one of my fics I'm finishing for NaNo.

I do not own Bones or the characters. ):

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"Miss M-Montenegro?"

Angela glanced up from her desk as a timid female voice called her name. The brunette Gracie Hansen was standing nervously in her doorway, shifting her weight back and forth.

"Hi, come on in," Angela greeted her warmly, pushing her chair back from her desk and beginning to rise.

"Don't get up!" Gracie shrilled, startling Angela into sitting back down again. "I'm s-supposed to tell you that Dr. B-Brennan n-needs you."

"Thanks, Gracie," Angela began, but the gangly intern had already left at a pace just shy of a sprint.

"I suppose I'm needed on the platform," Angela mumbled to herself, shaking her head with a grin as she pushed her chair back again.

~*~

"You rang?" Angela sauntered onto the platform a few minutes later and immediately choked as a noxious odor wafted over her.

"That was my first reaction as well." Hodgins's voice was muffled behind a surgical mask. The edges of his eyes crinkled in amusement.

"What the _hell_?" Angela managed before her gag reflex kicked in, and she cupped her hand over her nose and mouth.

"The body was found in the compost heap of a sewage plant." Brennan's voice drew her attention. The forensic anthropologist, also masked, was examining the brown-coated, green-fuzzed skull of the victim, picking over the ocular cavities with hands gloved several times over. Chunks of material Angela didn't want to think about oozed from the body and pooled on each side; decomposing flesh hung in stringy mats from every part of the corpse except the skull. Fungi and mold grew in furry patches, covering the areas not already blanketed by rotting flesh. Maggots and other insects swarmed around the corpse to be gleefully snatched up by Hodgins.

"Ohh, sweetie, I really think you won't need me until later." Angela backed away as acrid bile rose in her throat. "Do you need me to get Cam or anything? There's an awful lot of," she swallowed, "flesh still hanging on, there."

"Cam was here earlier," Brennan replied.

"Yeah, she got really pale and left. Didn't say why." Hodgins was chuckling in spite of himself.

"I can't imagine," Angela replied dryly, backing down the stairs. "Um, just…call me later or something, Brennan? After you've showered, maybe?"

"Angela, wait!" Brennan's voice was commanding, and Angela stopped a safe thirty feet from the platform.

"We're going out, Booth and I."

"You are?" Angela crossed her arms with a wicked grin beginning to touch her face.

"To the crime scene," Hodgins amended for her, shooting an amused glance at Angela. "I'm coming as well to check the compost heap and surrounding areas."

"Fun stuff, I'm sure. Have a great time." Angela flicked a wave over her shoulder with one of her brilliant smiles that never failed to melt Hodgins' heart, and she knew it. No hurt in having a little fun.

~*~

Angela put the outline of her latest piece of art to the side and sighed, massaging her temples as her vision slid into normal distance focus. Since the hustle and bustle of the lab had faded over the last thirty minutes, she assumed the team had taken off to check out the sewage plant. It was a bummer she hadn't seen Booth; it was nice to get a little stud on the scene every once and a while.

She dragged herself from her chair for the second time in a few hours and stretched widely, loosening the knots in her shoulders. Her arms knocked the outline from the desk, and she bent to retrieve it. As she stacked the smooth sheets in her hands, the edge of one sliced across the inside of her left index finger.

Angela cursed under her breath and immediately began sucking on the cut. The metallic scent of blood assaulted her tongue.

"I had to go to the bathroom anyways," she muttered softly, dodging her desk and heading towards the women's restroom to wash out the cut. It was after five-thirty, meaning that the Medico-Legal Lab of the Jeffersonian was all but empty. The silence was deafening, but it wasn't unpleasant. Her heels clicked a staccato on the floor, sending echoes reverberating off the walls.

The door swung shut behind Angela, and the tone of her footsteps changed as she moved onto tile. She rounded the corner and—

"Oh my God," she caught her breath, freezing in her path. A very pale, dark-haired figure was slumped against the wall by the nearest sink. It was Cam.

"…Cam?" Angela ventured closer, half afraid of what she might see. Thankfully, Cam stirred.

"Angela?" her large liquid brown eyes opened and slid into focus.

"Cam, what on earth?" Angela knelt beside her, mindless of the floor's condition. It was the Jeffersonian – even the janitors were overachievers.

"Wendell's…stomach flu. I think I caught it…as well." Cam's voice trembled and she stopped several times to swallow, but she held her head high and finished with a tentative smile.

"Oh, you poor dear." Angela bit her lip in worry. "How long have you been in here?"

"Since Brennan showed…me the body."

"Cam, that was at least forty-five minutes ago!" Angela exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Cam chuckled softly. "I know."

"And you've been here ever since?"

She nodded shakily.

"Are you…feeling any better? Can I get you anything?" Angela's eyes were warm, and Cam felt herself relaxing.

"I'm…better. Just c-cold," Cam managed, and Angela noticed that her teeth were chattering. Impulsively she reached out and pressed her hand against her coworker's dark skin.

"Cam, you're burning up!" Angela jerked her hand back. "Please let me drive you home."

"I took the bus this m-morning," Cam replied regretfully.

"And I rode in with Brennan," Angela shook her head. "Damn." She paused, chewing on her lip again in thought. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. There are couches and blankets in my office--"

"Ange, you don't have to do that for me," Cam protested weakly. Angela started at the use of her pet name. "I'm f-fine." Contrary to her words, a shiver ran through her body.

"Come on." Angela's tone brooked no argument. She threaded her arm gently behind Cam's back and helped her to her feet, feeling with concern the shivers continuing to wrack Cam's thin frame.

"You really need to eat more, you know," Angela teased, and was heartened when Cam chuckled in response.

"I can walk, thanks," she retorted as Angela kept her arm around her, though her knees gave way and she staggered as Angela removed her support.

"Uh huh. Sure." Angela smirked, and Cam couldn't help but smile.

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**Thanks for reading! Stay tuned for the next (and final) chapter! :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: And here it is, the final chapter of "Fascination"! :C I know you're as sad as I am, though I _am_ happy I finished it at all!**

**Thanks for sticking with it, everyone, and I apologize if this chapter is a bit out of character for Cam. I tried, but I'm tired, and she's a hard one to work with.**

**Dedicated to the lovely Catherine, and Bones and the characters belong to Fox.**

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"So you've known the Booth boys _how_ long?"

"Fifteen years," Cam replied, her gentle laugh blending with Angela's. "Half my life."

"I don't know if I should tell you you're lucky or console you." Angela shook her head, grinning.

"Lucky, definitely lucky."

The two women were in Angela's office, sitting next to each other on one of Angela's beat-up "couches with personality." Cam was curled up next to the armrest with a red woven blanket spread over her, while Angela sat back and propped her feet up on the low coffee table.

Angela checked her watch. "They've been gone nearly two hours. I would imagine that at least _Hodgins_ would be back soon."

"With the compost heap of a sewage plant? Never." Cam shook her head with a weary smile.

"Your color's returned some – are you feeling any better?"

"I think so, yeah. Definitely better than earlier."

Angela moved closer and pressed her wrist against Cam's forehead. "Your fever seems to have gone down some, but you're still warm. Do you want some more water?"

"Water would be good, thanks," Cam replied with a grateful smile.

The artist leaned to the coffee table and grabbed the bottle she had pulled for Cam from the break room earlier. She handed it carefully to her friend – _and boss_, she reminded herself, not for the first time this afternoon. It was hard to see Cam as domineering right now.

"Thanks, Angela," Cam said after she lowered the bottle from her lips. "For everything."

"No problem. It's what friends are for." Angela was already close beside Cam, and she could feel the heat radiating from the feverish coroner. Angela's mind was spinning as she moved over and pressed up against Cam, wrapping her arm gently behind her. Cam molded her body to the embrace and – to Angela's surprise - leaned her head onto the hollow formed by her collarbone.

"Tell me about Roxie." Cam's voice was uncertain as she broke the silence after a few moments.

"About…Roxie?" Angela blinked. "Wow. Um. There's…really not much to say."

"You met her in art school?" Cam prompted.

"Yes. We were out at dinner with some mutual friends of ours and started talking. And it kind of went downhill from there." Angela's smile was faint and a little sad.

There was more silence. Angela's dark eyes flitted over the woman nestled against her. Cam's skin burned against hers.

"Why Roxie? Why not…Hodgins or Grayson?"

"I know them both, and one of them a little too well," Cam reminded her with a touch of her normal humor.

"Oh, yeah," Angela remembered, chuckling through her tightening throat. The sound came out a little strangled, and Cam shifted against her.

Silence reigned again. Angela was about to ask Cam about her relationship with Booth when she realized she had fallen asleep. Her breathing was even and deep, Angela was relieved to notice, but her skin was warmer, and she shivered every so often.

"Brennan, where are you?" Angela whispered, eyes darting around her office as if to locate her friend. Her eyes landed on Cam again, and an urge leapt within her. Angela gave in and pressed her lips tenderly to Cam's forehead. She was alarmingly warm.

Angela nearly jumped out of her skin as Brennan's voice called her name in the hallway outside her office. She hurriedly turned her head from Cam and called, "In here, sweetie."

Brennan soon arrived in her door, gazing at the couch with confusion evident on her face.

"She's sick, Brennan – she's been like this ever since you left," Angela explained, and Brennan came over to press her hand against Cam's neck.

"We need to get her to the hospital," Brennan concluded, alarm bright in her eyes as she flipped her cell phone open and dialed Booth's number.

---

That night, Angela lay awake, staring at her ceiling and listening to the slow patter of rain on her roof as she ran through the day's events in her mind.

Booth had returned within minutes, and the three of them drove then-awake Cam to the hospital, where she was quickly admitted.

It was a type of stomach flu, the doctors reported, but a more unusual and peculiar strain that caused high fevers. Cam's had spiked dangerously by the time they had brought her in, but they had started her on fluids and it was slowly coming down.

"I'm surprised she was lucid," Brennan had told Angela when the doctor's reports had come in.

"Yeah, with a fever that high, she must have been a little loopy," Booth had supplied. "It's lucky she had you, Angela."

_She might not have even been lucid, huh?_ Angela thought to herself, shifting in bed. _Great._

_Although I guess I'm glad_, she added. _We couldn't ever really be anything anyway. She's probably not even queer. _

_But it was worth it. I'm _glad_ it was me stuck at the lab tonight. And I think she was as well._

_Maybe_.

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**A/N: Ta daaaa! :D Thanks for reading and reviewing! I really appreciate it.**

**You didn't think Camgela would work either, did you? I don't _really_ think it does (and it's sure not cannon), but it's fun to play with. Heck, I ship Angela with everyone anyway. xD**

**Thanks again! *distributes cookies*  
**


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